When I take a look at the sea of gamers out there and the mediums in which they choose to partake in their past-time I often think to myself “I don’t get it – we are all gamers.”
Of course I am referring to the debates that occur between different gaming mediums as to which is better, which is lame, and of course which is the most nerdy/geeky/humiliating to play. And that generally brings my thoughts full circle.
I can barely remember a time when I wasn’t a gamer. From my earliest memory of playing leggo on the stairs as a 3 year old there was always some form of game to be played as an element of amusing myself. A few years later, thanks to a classmate, I found Dungeons and Dragons. And although the DM barely allowed me to play I must have enjoyed it because it stuck.
And now, many many years later I have experienced table top, video games, online games, LARP (of course) and I have enjoyed them all. Never once did I think along the lines of “those that played x style of game are such losers!”
And yet there is a definitive line in some minds between what is acceptable gaming and what is not. Take for instance my friend… we will call him Ted. Ted works at a multi-million dollar video GAMING company – but Ted doesn’t tell his co-workers that he LARPs. Why? He did that once… at his last gaming company job. He decided not to do that again.
Is Ted ashamed of being a LARPer? No, but even though he is surrounded by gamers 40+ hours a week – people who have dedicated their career to the fulfillment of gaming – many of them still cannot buy into the idea that we are just experiencing a game in a different way. It’s not what they know and find ‘acceptable gaming’ so they can’t relate.
Well, maybe now they will ‘get it.’
Altern8.com has launched a ‘gamers website’ that caters to many different mediums of gaming – without elitism (on behalf of the management anyway). You can go there to discuss the latest MMO, XBox 360 game, or… you guessed it,… your views on LARP.
From a personal standpoint I love this concept because it provides each visitor with more exposure to different kinds of gaming mediums. The website seems to be made with the concept that we are all just gamers and people interested in gaming should come and enjoy what others have to offer.
Simply fantastic.
I urge you to take a look and then come back here and let me know what you think.
Cheers,
Kevin Tjia
PS: The website is www.alltern8.com. Be sure to check out Tara’s LARP articles while you are at it!
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